12 Fun & Easy Virtual Date Ideas — And How To Look Your Best For Them

While we all prefer a list of fun date ideas where we can actually meet in person, going on a virtual date can also go a long way to see if there's enough interest to move forward.

Virtual dating doesn't have to be awkward or difficult. It's simply an extension of the basic "3-2-1 dating rules" — exchanging three emails, having two phone conversations, and then one casual meeting for 15 minutes at a Starbucks or someplace similar.

If you follow this advice, you can leverage your online dating time efficiently to avoid any awkward first date fiascos.

RELATED: 7 Ways To Keep Your Romance Steamy During The Quarantine

Virtual dating can take the form of video calls on platforms like Google Hangouts, Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime. You do not have to be tech-savvy to enjoy virtual dating.

Starting the process with a virtual date might be even better, because you can "see and talk" to the other person and get a real sense of whether or not there's a connection.

It doesn’t have to be boring, either. You can have dates under the stars, game nights, and cooking sessions. There are many possibilities.

Here are 12 fun and easy virtual date ideas for love at a distance.

1. Do happy hour.

Virtual hangouts or happy hours are the new next-best thing to see friends and family. So, why not make it a date?

Invite your potential partner to a virtual cocktail or happy hour at the end of the week. You could even do a virtual happy hour at the beginning of the week — it doesn’t matter if you don’t have to leave your home!

It’s fun to share your cocktail (or mocktail) recipe and mix things up a little. And bonus points if you're able to gauge their creativity levels and find out their tastes in beverages.

2. Play a game.

Get to know your date through your favorite board games like Scrabble, Life, or Battleship. Or, you can play a few rounds of "Truth or Dare" and "Never Have I Ever?"

Virtual dating gets interesting when you can learn how competitive your date is. Plus, a bit of playfulness eases the stress that comes from going on a date — real life or virtual.

3. Give a virtual home tour.

If your date has never seen your abode, why not give your date a glimpse? (Tip: Make sure your place is clean!)

They can give you a virtual house tour of their own, as well. 

Giving your date a virtual tour of your home will provide them with the opportunity to find out about your style and taste, and pick up on a few habits along the way.

4. Make a meal together.

Another way to find out about your date’s taste is by cooking a homemade meal together. Be sure to plan and decide a meal you both like or want to learn (and gather your ingredients beforehand).

You’ll be less likely to stress out if you're both preoccupied with cooking your meal while on your virtual date. Also, you can enjoy your food together at the same time by the end.

5. Order in takout together.

If you’re not prepared to cook together, you can order from your favorite delivery or takeout place ahead of time and enjoy your meals together.

It will be like going to a restaurant without the hassle of going anywhere — no worrying about who gets the check.

6. Watch a movie.

Another way to figure out each other’s tastes is to decide on a movie to watch together.

You can each set up the film at your respective homes and press "play" and "pause" at the same time, so it’s like you're in the same room.

7. Virtual "Ask Me Anything."

OK, maybe not anything, but a virtual Q&A is a great way to get to know each other a little more in-depth.

Gather a list of questions to ask your date, and vice versa. Get online, and start taking turns asking.

Remember to keep the questions a little light and fun and not too serious.

8. Read a book together.

Reading can bring people together. For book lovers out there, discuss your favorite genres and pick out a book to read together.

You can start by taking turns reading pages or paragraphs. If it's a longer book, you can discuss your thoughts on the book you read on multiple days.

You also could take turns reading passages from your favorite books to share your tastes with your potential partner.

9. Take a virtual gallery tour.

Art, history, and cultural museums all over the world are offering free virtual tours.

Why not grab your favorite museum and have a virtual tour together? You can dish on your favorite exhibits to learn about each other’s tastes in the arts, sciences, and more.

10. Look to the stars.

Not many people know this, but you can go online and stargaze. Talk about a fun and romantic virtual date idea!

No need to bust out the telescope or drive out to the middle of nowhere when you can share your screen and do it all online.

RELATED: How To Date While Practicing Responsible Social Distancing During The Coronavirus Pandemic

11. Create a playlist.

This takes us back to the glory days of making mixtapes for your crush. Why not do a virtual playlist? Many online music-streaming services offer up shareable playlists.

Before your date, grab a mix of your favorite songs — they don’t have to be mushy songs, just songs you love!

Share your playlists and find out more about each other’s musical tastes.

12. Go to a show.

Take your musical tastes to another level. Many music artists and bands are offering free virtual concerts from the comfort of your own home.

Find which artists suit your date’s tastes and schedule to watch the show together.

Now that you have these fun virtual date ideas, here are 5 tips for preparing for your date. 

1. Do your hair and makeup like you would in real life.

Who said just because you’re sitting at home means you shouldn’t still look your best?

You’ll feel confident when you get ready as you normally would.

2. What you wear matters.

Kick it up a notch by wearing a nice top or shirt to impress your date. Colors matter, too.

Black and busy patterns tend to look bad on camera.

Take a lesson from newscasters. Do you notice that they tend to wear solid, bright colors?

Wear a top that is bright and stylish yet flattering. Go all out with pajama bottoms. They won’t know unless they ask to see!

3. Good lighting makes a difference.

You don’t want shadows in the frame when you’re on video.

Try positioning yourself in front of a good lamp without anything interfering with the lighting. Diffused light is always the best.

Never put your lighting behind you, or else you will just be a dark silhouette. No one wants to date a shadow, right?

If you’re doing your date while the sun is out, try positioning yourself in front of a window for glowing, natural light.

4. Get the best camera angles.

Position your camera in the right direction for a flattering angle. You don’t want your face to look too big, or for the camera to stare up your nose.

Also, try to position yourself in the middle of the frame to avoid a lot of white space so you can look your best.

Test out a few angles before hopping online. Go with the one your computer or smartphone camera looks best for you.

5. Check your background.

There’s nothing worse than someone who has dirty laundry in the background, or anything compromising like medications or dirty dishes.

That’s why it's so important to tidy up before hopping on your virtual date. Make sure you are putting your best (virtual) self forward.

Virtual dating should not be stressful.

There are so many fun ideas that go beyond the dull "get to know you" conversations — you won’t even notice you’re on a "date."

Virtual dating is here to stay. These ideas are at your disposal and should make the minutes (or hours) fly by without either you or your date noticing.

Best of luck, and remember to have fun!

RELATED: 3 At-Home Date Night Ideas You Can Do During Quarantine

Claire Bahn is the CEO of Online Profile Pros, the largest network professional photographers writers and coaches across the U.S. and Canada, all dedicated to making sure your personal brand is the best it can be.